


Chariot's Run

by onyeenhok



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, I was just gonna do a oneshot but, M/M, Roleswap AU, Spoilers, Suicide Attempt, not in the first chapter but like, please note the changed warnings and added tags as this goes on, probably irregular updates, this is gonna be the whole game when I'm finished!, this was too fun and ended up being something I wanted to make a full series of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-09-27 13:53:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17163179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onyeenhok/pseuds/onyeenhok
Summary: The prompt for this was Roleswap PegoRyu so here's hoping it turns out well. I think Ryuji is gonna be a great leader please believe in him!





	1. Leaving Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NextTrickAnvils](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NextTrickAnvils/gifts).



> **Edited in some italics I realized I'd forgotten! None of the content actually changed, but some parts should read more smoothly now hopefully...

Ryuji knew his decision would hurt his mom. He knew it would make life harder for the both of them. He _knew_. But there was no way he could leave that poor woman to the mercy of some drunk creep. The smell of booze on the creep’s breath was nauseating, but Ryuji wasn’t about to abandon the poor woman to his mercy, not while Ryuji still had breath. Not when there was something he could do.

“Hey, you need to leave her alone. She’s not interested.” Ryuji spoke through a scowl, knowing that even though it might get him in trouble later, his delinquent-esque appearance did wonders for scaring people away. It didn’t seem to work this time, though, the creep just puffing himself up to full height (not that much taller than Ryuji) and scowling right back.

“Get lost, brat, this is between adults.” He practically spat the words at Ryuji and went right back to harassing the woman, blaming her for Ryuji’s interference and grabbing onto her with more vigor than before. This had gone far enough. Ryuji lunged forward and pulled the drunk man out of reach of the woman.

“Leave her the hell alone, you creep!” The guy knocked Ryuji’s hands off his shoulders, and everything seemed to go in slow motion as he stumbled, losing his balance and toppling to the ground, his forehead connecting with the sidewalk’s railing with a sickening clang.

There was blood.

“Holy shit, are you-?!”

“You _damn brat_ , I’ll sue your entire family into the ground!” The man tried to stand up, but wobbled. Ryuji moved to help him, but was promptly swatted away, on the receiving end of an ice cold glare. The glare didn’t bother him, but the police sirens that sounded from a few blocks away was definitely worrying. Someone must have called the police because of all the yelling. When the car pulls up, lights flashing, the drunk man pulls himself up to his feet and stumbles over to one of the cops.

“This kid...he just came up and suddenly attacked me-” He pauses to stagger dramatically, and the police officer totally buys it, giving Ryuji a sharp look as he steadies the drunk asshole.

“I didn’t--he was harassing her, I wanted to help!” Ryuji protests, but his words fall on deaf ears.

“No, the gentleman is right…” The woman pipes up, and Ryuji stares at her, eyes wide, missing the smirk on the drunk man’s face, “he just came up and shoved him for no reason, he’s lying.”

And with that, Ryuji’s grabbed and cuffed, and then escorted into the car and taken to a holding cell. They call his mother, who has to leave from work and lose a few hours of pay (his fault). She then has to sit and listen to the police lecture her about keeping a better watch over her son (his fault). They have her schedule a court date, when she’ll miss more work, losing more money (his fault). And then she has to drive him home, and doesn’t complain a single bit. Ryuji’s head is still spinning, everything had happened so fast, but he still has the presence of mind to apologize to his mother.

“Ma, I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t’ve...I mean, you might not believe me but the dude was harassing that poor woman, I couldn’t just let him-” He breaks off when something in his mom’s posture relaxes.

“I knew there had to be a reason. You wouldn’t do something like that with no cause, I know you, you’re a sweet boy through and through.” She reaches to give his hand a squeeze and smiles.

“No matter what the other adults say, I’m on your side and always will be.”

“Thanks, Ma.” His voice _doesn’t_ shake, and there _aren’t_ tears in his eyes. The rest of the ride home is quiet aside from his sniffling.

~~~~~~

The courtroom is bright, simultaneously deafeningly loud and crushingly silent. The sensory overload feels like it’s crawling over his skin, digging in claws at his temples and in his ears. He wants to scream, but he just sits silently. Enduring. He can feel the gaze of every single adult in the room like a weight on his shoulders, but he sits straight anyway. Defiant. They just see a punk, a delinquent, an _undesirable_. They’ve already made their decision and Ryuji knows it. They know it. He’s guilty.

There’s a blur of adults all talking, sometimes talking over one another, sometimes shouting, sometimes pointing at him, always sounding upset. It lasts a while, maybe thirty minutes, and Ryuji gives up on following their conversation at all. Nothing would come of it anyway, they wouldn’t listen to him even if he did know what they were saying. Through it all, he can see his mother sitting tight-lipped and calm, a fire in her eyes, but not an ounce of anger. She’s a beacon of emotional strength, and Ryuji’s thankful for it.

It’s more painful than he expects when the gavel falls with that fateful thud. He knew the outcome but it still hurts, being accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Almost like a physical blow, the sound drives right through him, and it takes all his might not to flinch.

“The defendant will spend a year on probation with an approved guardian.” Did that mean he had to leave his mom? From the barely perceptible frown on her face...it did. _Damn it, I really screwed up this time…_

There’s nothing to be done, though, he just has to accept the sentence and be glad it isn’t worse. It’s all bullshit, but it’s _official_ bullshit, unfortunately, so it has more impact than normal bullshit. His mom drives him home and she spends as much time with him as she can until the court-ordered move is the next day. It sneaks up on them but they’re able to get Ryuji packed in time, clothes and books all stacked carefully in a big cardboard box they’ll send ahead of him, and his mom, bless her, has been working on a quilt this whole time, saying how she doesn’t want him to feel like she doesn’t care, and to think of her hugging him when he uses it. It would be a lie to say that her care is unexpected, but it still sends Ryuji into a minor bout of waterworks, clinging to her and burying his face in her shoulder.

Before either of them are ready, it’s time to go. Any later and Ryuji will miss the train to Tokyo, so they have one last tearful hug before rushing to the station, where Ryuji just barely makes it into the train before the doors slide closed.

He and his mom wave as the train pulls out of the station. There’s no way to know for sure, but he’s certain his mom waves until the train and station are out of sight of one another. He does.


	2. Jibun ROCK

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryuji arrives in Tokyo and starts out a whirlwind of a year—though he has no idea exactly what kind of whirlwind it'll be~ ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter just covers up to the morning of 4/11 in-game! Sojiro, Akira, Kamoshida, and Ann make their appearances! The cutscenes in the Velvet Room and with Sojiro taking you to meet the principal and Kawakami would go pretty much the same as in-game, so I elected not to rehash those to keep the chapter from feeling slow.
> 
> The chapter title this time is a song I came to associate heavily with Ryuji, and I actually listened to it on loop for a lot of the beginning part of this chapter. I do definitely recommend giving it a listen if you feel like it!

Ryuji’s first day in Tokyo is half-spent being lost in Shibuya Station. Even with all the signs posted everywhere and the helpful markers for detours around construction areas, the station just feels so huge coming from a town with only two train stations, not to mention the way his senses get all twisted around with all the commotion. People bump him without a word to him, but the clamor of their coming and going, words in Japanese and words he can’t understand clouding his thoughts until they’re unintelligible and all that’s in his head is a jumble of nonsense. He scrabbles for his headphones, unable to find them for a terrifying moment, then his fingers get tangled in a wire wrapped in carefully knotted threads, and the knot of panic fluttering in his stomach that he hadn’t fully been aware of loosens. Hands shaking a little, Ryuji shoves the headphones over his ears and the jack into his phone, and relief washes over him as the overwhelming reality fades away and fills with the pleasant thrumming from the beat of whatever song played when he hit shuffle.

 

Everything was more okay when his senses were taken over by drums and guitars, just Ryuji and the thrumming against the world.

 

He finally stepped out from the underground, striding hesitantly into the station square, and was infinitely glad he’d put his headphones on already. If the inside of the station was loud, he could only _imagine_ the absolute chaos the soundscape out here must’ve been. But before he could even look around, something unexplainable and downright terrifying happened. Everyone and everything around him _froze_. It was uncanny beyond words or even emotions, he felt like curling up and hiding, or maybe screaming, but all he could make himself do was look around with wide eyes, feeling tiny and absolutely terrified.

 

**And that was when it happened.**

 

As if it had been waiting just for him, a pillar of flame flared up violently all the way across the famous Shibuya Crossing. Then, like a camera lens had been focused, it sharpened into a silhouette of a large winged figure with an eerie, backlit grin. Somehow, though, it felt like...he could also see himself? But then it was all gone in a blink, and everyone around him resumed their goings-on as if nothing had happened at all. God, he didn’t need this. Banished to Tokyo by court rule, and now some...weird hallucination? This was ridiculous, absolutely—an unfamiliar chime interrupted his music and his train of thought, and his gaze jerked down to his navigation app. It had never made _that_ noise before.

 

It had never had a creepy red and black eye popup either… But, thinking about it, it was probably just some weird local ad. Yeah, that made sense. Without giving it any further thought, Ryuji closed it out and got back to what he was really supposed to be doing here: getting to Sojiro Sakura’s house.

 

~~~~~~

 

Once he finds the right platform in the confusing mess of Shibuya Station, it’s a refreshingly short ride to Yongenjaya, and the backstreets are uncomplicated, he finds the Sakura nameplate easily enough, but no one answers the bell. A brief conversation with a deliveryman who’s luckily also looking for Sojiro Sakura leads him to the door of Leblanc, a small cafe with a soft, homey sort of vibe. He can smell coffee and...is that curry? Even with the door closed, the smell is just present enough to remind his stomach that he didn’t eat lunch. Ryuji hesitated to open the door, but he knew he was just delaying the inevitable. He yanked his headphones off his ears so they rested around his neck, opening the door at the same time, and stepped into the shop.

 

“Welcome to—oh, it’s you, huh? Just a minute…” The shopkeeper, who was presumably Sojiro Sakura, turned back to his crossword puzzle. The customers at the table were still chatting away, but they somewhat abruptly stood and said goodbye before leaving, and then the cafe was empty aside from Ryuji and Sojiro.

 

“Um...I’m Ryuji Sakamoto, thank you for taking care of me.” Ryuji’s heart sunk a little when he straightened from his bow to see Sojiro still scowling a little.

 

“Sojiro Sakura. I’m in charge of you for the next year, so don’t do anything that’d reflect badly on me. You try anything, and I won’t hesitate to throw you out, got it?”

 

“Yes, sir…”

 

Sojiro was clearly strict, Ryuji would have to be on his best behavior if he wanted any hope of being on Sojiro’s good side at some point in the future. _Challenge accepted._ Ryuji would prove him wrong, show him that the punk look he sported was just that: a look.

 

With that internal declaration, Ryuji dedicated the rest of his day to cleaning up the attic and then flopping face down on the bed without even changing out of his clothes. He would feel gross in the morning, but that was a problem for morning Ryuji to deal with. Right now, he just wanted to sleep forever. Cleaning hadn’t been light work, and he’d worked for almost eight hours straight, too, even cleaning off the workbench at the foot of his bed. It’d be a perfect place to do homework or study, since Sojiro probably wouldn’t want him downstairs scaring the customers away with his delinquent look.

 

A heavy sigh was the cue for his body to relax, and the last thing he did before falling asleep was slip his headphones back on over his ears.

 

~~~~~~

 

He jolted awake to clanking chains and a deep voice that felt like it pierced right into his bones—and not in the good way that the bass at rock concerts did. For a dream, this shit was awful vivid… Something about the space felt weird, too, but not how he’d expect a lucid dream to feel. It was like everything was somewhat fake, but not in a way he could place. The feeling was disconcerting, at the very least.

 

And from there, it only got worse.

 

~~~~~~

 

Morning brought a pit of unease curling in his stomach, but that fell to the side as the priority of getting clean and changed started to bug him. He’d been right, waking up in his clothes felt gross. _You do this every time, dumbass!_ Chiding himself never did any good, though, he’d just do this all again the next time he tired himself out, more than likely. Luckily, he was a habitually early riser, and the bathhouse across the street seemed really inviting right now, especially if he wanted his hair to dry before he left for school.

 

Ryuji rushed through his bath, hardly soaking in the tub at all. It wasn’t like this was the time to really relax, anyway. If he could somehow make a case to get on the track team, then this bathhouse would definitely be his best friend. Nothing like a good long soak to relieve sore muscles! But he cut off the train of thought there, not wanting to get ahead of himself. He climbed out of the bath and changed into his uniform, feeling fresh and ready to face the school day, and ran back into Leblanc to drop off his clothes from yesterday and grab his school bag. His path back outside screeched to a halt as Sojiro called out to him.

 

“Hey, kid,” Sojiro gestured to a plate of curry set on the bar, “if you’re gonna go to school seriously, I’ll feed you. Have some breakfast.”

 

Ryuji blinked in surprise for a few seconds before he could form a response. _I guess he’s the type that’s nicer than he likes to let on…_

 

“Thanks, Sakura-san, it smells good.” The tiny crinkling at the corners of Sojiro’s eyes wasn’t lost on Ryuji. He ate up, trying not to rush, but _damn_ this curry was good—even perfect! If he could convince Sojiro to teach him, this recipe was definitely something he’d bring back to his mom.

 

“Thank you for the meal, it was delicious.” Ryuji smiled at Sojiro, scooping up the dishes and taking a few steps toward the sink, only to be intercepted by Sojiro before he could get there to wash them.

 

“I’ll wash these, you head on to school. If you leave too much later, you won’t have extra time in case you get lost. You transfer at Shibuya, so it’ll be a little confusing the first few times.”

 

“Oh, uh, thanks. I’ll get going, then.” _He really is a nice guy. Saying he took me in just because he was paid was definitely a lie._ Ryuji handed over the dishes and gave a bow and a friendly little wave before slipping out the door and greeting the old man on the street outside politely as he headed to the station.

 

~~~~~~

 

The rain hadn’t been in the forecast, but even if it had been, Ryuji usually forgot an umbrella anyway. He sighed, checking his navigation app again, just to make sure he was at least heading in the general direction of the school, though it was probably safe to assume he could start to just follow everyone wearing the Shujin uniform now. Still, better safe than sorry.

 

The app pinged, that weird, unfamiliar chime again, and Ryuji ducked under the nearest awning, frowning at the sight of that same red and black eye logo. _It should have been deleted from last time…_ But before he could do so, someone rushed under the awning, clearly having also been surprised by the rain. They were using their blazer as a makeshift umbrella, propped up over their arms, presumably to keep their hair dry, but dropped it with a sigh once under the shelter of the small awning and slung it over one shoulder casually, revealing the _prettiest_ boy Ryuji had _ever_ seen. Tousled black hair that was visibly thick and was probably soft, given its sheen, just barely failed to hide soft charcoal eyes behind dark-framed glasses that gave him an almost demure sort of quality. There were pins that glinted gold at one side of his face, but they didn’t seem to serve any purpose at all other than style, as his hair was falling in his eyes anyway. A glint caught Ryuji’s eye, drawing his gaze to the hollow of the boy’s throat. A small pendant rested there, just a single clear gem hung from a thin gold chain, but it filled the empty space above the closure of the scarlet waistcoat he’d added to his uniform perfectly. And of _course_ this boy had the effortless grace expected from someone with well-tailored clothes and that sort of slender build, like some kind of model. Even standing still, his posture was fluid and eye-catching.

 

Ryuji was speechless. This boy practically overflowed with soft beauty, the gentle, unassuming air of someone who had no idea of their own attractiveness. God, it would be so _frustrating_ if that shyness wasn’t absolutely adorable on him. It was only when the boy shifted awkwardly, his eyes darting over to Ryuji briefly before looking away as he reached up to fiddle with a strand of hair, that Ryuji realized he’d been staring. Ryuji looked away quickly, back to his phone, remembering that he had been in the middle of taking care of that weird popup, but then a car drove up and the window rolled down to reveal a kindly-smiling man.

 

“Good morning. Care for a lift? You’ll be late, you know.” He seemed nice enough, was probably a teacher, but Ryuji needed to learn the walk to school. The pretty boy smiled back before Ryuji could respond, his smile actually beautiful enough that Ryuji’s voice caught in his throat before he could answer.

 

“Thank you, Sensei.” Even his _voice_ was pretty, how was that fair?! Ryuji watched as the boy slid elegantly into the passenger’s seat, and forgot that he was even meant to give an answer until prompted by the teacher.

 

“And what about you?”

 

“Oh, uh, no, I’m fine!”

 

“Okay, just make sure you get to school on time.” The teacher gave another smile, then faced back forward, eyes on the road. As the passenger window rolled up, Ryuji could’ve sworn the pretty boy’s expression fell… He looked as though he wanted to cry, but, no, that was definitely Ryuji’s imagination. A weird reflection on the window had warped what he was seeing. ...Right?

 

Before he had the time to think on it further, a girl ran up just as the car started away, huffing in frustration as she reluctantly came to a stop under the awning with Ryuji. Her hair was a wild, wavy blonde bob that seemed to fluff up with her indignation, and everything about her posture screamed that she was ready to fight. Which Ryuji could respect, but it was a little intimidating all the same. She looked like she might’ve been a delinquent, but the same could be said about him with his bottle blond hair, and, looking closer, she had blue eyes, so her hair color was probably natural.

 

“Ugh, screw that pervy teacher!” She scowled, raking one hand through her hair as though trying to calm it.

 

“Pervy teacher…?” Ryuji couldn’t help but echo her in his confusion. The guy had seemed pretty nice? Before he could say anything else, though, she rounded on him, arms crossed angrily, and he recoiled, startled by her sudden closeness.

 

“What, you gonna tell Kamoshida I said that? He already knows what I think, so there’s no point in ratting me out.”

 

“Um…who?” Ryuji was genuinely confused, but he still felt like he was giving the wrong answer, holding up his hands in an attempt to preemptively placate her.

 

“He was driving that car just now? How do you not know him? He’s the PE teacher, Suguru Kamoshida.” She said it like it was obvious. Which…judging by how she was wearing the same uniform as him, it probably should have been. That was, for anyone but a transfer student.

 

“Suguru Kamoshida…” The name sounded familiar, but Ryuji couldn’t quite place it. He was snapped out of his thoughts by his phone vibrating in his hand, but brushed it off as a good morning text from his mom. He’d answer when he got to school.

 

“Yeah. You... _do_ go to Shujin, right? How do you _not_ know that asshole?” She was growing more and more frustrated as the conversation went on, one foot tapping an impatient rhythm on the concrete, so it was probably best to explain.

 

“I just transferred to Shujin Academy, I haven’t been to classes yet, so I don’t know any of the teachers. But, uh...what did you mean earlier when you said ‘pervy teacher’? He was offering a lift to school, so I thought—“ Another vibration, probably just another text.

 

“Look, it doesn’t matter what he offers, he’s a selfish douchebag who parades around like he’s the king of a castle!” Ryuji’s phone vibrated again. It was weird for his mom to text this much… He’d answer soon, though. For now, he shoved his phone in his pocket and tried to placate the girl.

 

“I believe you, dude, I believe you. That was just the first time I’ve ever seen the guy, so I don’t know anything about him, that’s all. Um...we’ll be late though, at this rate, won’t we? Can you show me how to get there?” Ryuji was about to add a ‘please’ when the girl sighed and gestured for him to follow.

 

The path she took was most likely a shortcut, but something about it felt weirdly ominous, almost cave-like. Ryuji shook his head to clear the thought away. The rain was just making everything feel weird with its gloom, nothing to work himself up over. ...Not that telling himself that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up less.

 

When they emerged from the alleyway, though, it turned out that Ryuji’s instincts were spot-on. **Something was terribly wrong.** The girl had frozen just a few steps outside of the alley, and it was immediately apparent why. Right in front of them towered a massive, European-style castle, imposing in cold stone under a dizzying blood-red sky. A moat yawned cavernous and dark below the drawbridge and the gate read Shujin Academy on a familiar plaque…

 

“What the hell is this supposed to be?!”


	3. Come, Arsene!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's....still 4/11! There are so many cutscenes and I wanna do them justice with changed dialogue...

_“What the hell is this supposed to be?!”_

Ryuji’s voice echoed through the unfamiliar space eerily, and he suddenly noticed that the ground had a weird consistency to it, like there was a layer of grime and maybe moss or algae? Something springy but mushy, almost like wading in a shallow pool with better traction than normal. Whatever it was, it felt _gross_.

“Dude, seriously, what the hell is this?” He turned to the girl, who still hadn’t introduced herself, with mild horror, but her expression was just a mirror of his—she clearly didn’t have an answer.

“I don’t...know… This is where the school should be, and the nameplate…” Her brow furrowed and she huffed an exasperated sigh.

“Well, let’s go inside and ask, then. I bet we just made a weird wrong turn or something.” Ryuji started for the drawbridge, looking back at the girl expectantly. She looked suspicious, but seriously—

“Seriously, what’s the worst that can happen? They tell us they don’t know what we’re talking about?”

**Famous last words.**

They venture into the castle, tentative but more from confusion than fear, and the girl (whose name he still hasn’t caught) fearlessly confronts a strange walking suit of armor. Well...it probably has a person inside, things can’t be that strange. Wherever they ended up is still on Earth, at the very least.

“Hey, where are we? What the hell’s going on?” She sounds much more confident and sure of herself than Ryuji feels, but he notices a tiny quiver in one of her clenched fists and his admiration for her doubles. He takes a few steps closer to her, wanting to bolster her intimidating appearance with his own.

“This has to be some kind of weird prank, right?” Ryuji hopes his assertion eases her nerves a little, especially with someone backing her up both physically and verbally. He just lingers a step behind her, solid and reassuring, and he can see the tightness in her shoulders relax a little.

“Yeah, of course!” She nods firmly and turns to the suit of armor, her tone firmly demanding. “You have to tell us what’s going on! Where’s the school?”

As though appearing out of thin air, another armor suit walked up menacingly, clanking with each step, and the girl balks, understandingly intimidated by their weird silence. They close in even further, and Ryuji and the girl both take instinctive steps back.

“Hey...H-hold on…” She stutters, seeming a little rooted to the spot, and Ryuji doesn’t think, just grabs her by the wrist and pulls her along as he goes to run, but it’s too late, they’ve already been surrounded by two more of those creepy silent armor suits. Ryuji looks frantically for a way to escape, but he’s slammed in the back with the flat of a shield and the world spins. He topples to his knees, and his attempt to struggle back to standing is thwarted by another vicious blow from the shield. This time, he falls limp, and everything goes dark.

~~~~~~

“Hey… Hey, you okay, new kid? Wake up!” The girl’s kneeling over him as he lays on some kinda sorry excuse for a bed. Everything hurts, but he forces his eyes open and slowly sits up with a groan.

“‘M fine. Sakamoto, by the way. Ryuji Sakamoto. So you don’t have to call me ‘new kid’.” He rubs the back of his head and tries to get his bearings. They’re in some kind of cell with iron bars as the front wall, the rest made of stone. There doesn’t seem to be a way out other than the door, which is no doubt locked.

“Takamaki. Ann Takamaki.” Before she can say anything else, the clanking of the walking armor suits comes from down the hallway. One of them speaks with a gravelly, ominous voice, approaching the cell with the others at his flanks.

“Rejoice, for your punishment has been decided. Your charge is ‘unlawful entry’, and thus, you will be sentenced to death.” He’s matter of fact and cold, and a chill runs down Ryuji’s spine.

“Death…? What the hell—” Ryuji’s cut off by a familiar voice, one he can’t quite place.

“No one is allowed to simply do as they please in _my_ castle.”

The suits of armor part to reveal the man from the car earlier, and he’s wearing the most ridiculous outfit Ryuji’s ever seen. A heart-patterned cloak, a pink speedo, a crown, and shoes. ...It would be laughable if not for the unsettling yellow of his eyes.

“Kamoshida?!” Takamaki sounds taken-aback.

“I thought it was some petty thief, but to think it was you, Takamaki… Trying to defy me again? Or have you, perhaps, come to your senses and decided to accept my love as you should?”

“You _wish_ , you creep!” Takamaki sounds spitting-mad, which is warranted, considering how fucking creepy Kamoshida’s being. Plus they’re locked in a cell, so there’s that.

“And you brought a friend,” Kamoshida’s gaze shifts to Ryuji, “because you didn’t learn your lesson when I transferred your last one.”

“Stuff it, just drop this idiotic charade already!” Takamaki snarls, rattling the cell door.

“Is that how you talk to a king? You really haven’t learned your position at all, have you? Not only did you sneak in here, but you committed the grave crime of insulting _me_ , the _king_. The punishment for that...is death.”

Ryuji’s not so sure this is a joke anymore… Everything sounds so serious and it’s gone on so long. Especially with how he and Takamaki were knocked out and thrown in a cell.

“It’s time for an execution. Take her out!” At Kamoshida’s command, the suits of armor barge into the cell and advance on Takamaki, who backs away with every step of theirs until she’s in a corner with nowhere else to go.

“Qu-quit it… Leave me alone..!” She was so full of fighting spirit until now, but the threat of death so close like this…

No, Ryuji can’t accept that! He charges at one of the suits of armor and body-checks it to make an opening for Takamaki.

“We’re outta here, let’s go!” But before they can even start to make their escape, one of the guards drives the butt of his weapon into Ryuji’s gut and he crumples.

“Silence, peasant! The king does not wish to be entertained by you yet!”

“Dammit…” Takamaki looks defeated, shoulders drooping, and two guards move to her sides and hold her still as Kamoshida stalks over and slaps her across the face hard enough to split her lip.

“No…” Ryuji’s voice is weak and breathless, and he coughs, choking on his inhale.

Kamoshida doesn’t pay him any heed, though, laying blow after blow on Takamaki until she staggers to her knees.

“Heh, you finally know your place as garbage. It’s time for your punishment, let’s get to the execution.” He raises a hand, and one of the guards draws and readies a sword over Takamaki. Ryuji’s heart is hammering in his chest. Is this really going to…? No. _No._ He _won’t_ let it! Ryuji pushes himself to his feet and stands tall.

“Leave her alone, you asshole phony-king!”

“What did you say…? Don’t tell me you haven’t realized who I am?” Kamoshida turns on him and gets in his face with a patronizing sneer, but Ryuji glares right back.

“That look in your eyes _irritates_ me!” Kamoshida punctuates his meaning with a kick to Ryuji’s gut and Ryuji stumbles and falls against the wall.

“Hold him there. After the peasant, it’s his turn to die.” Before Kamoshida’s finished speaking, Ryuji’s already back on his feet, and he sprints for Kamoshida, who’s standing over a prone Takamaki, but he’s stopped short by the guards, who pin him to the wall effortlessly. He snarls, but struggling with all his might does nothing. Then a voice that comes from everywhere and nowhere speaks up.

**_Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking her to save yourself? If you don’t interfere, she truly will die. Was your last decision a mistake then?_ **

“It wasn’t a mistake.”

**_Very well. I have heeded your resolve._ **

Ryuji struggles against the guards’ grasp, bucking them far enough to get a gap between his back and the wall, and a burning pain starts in his head, like something’s searing the inside of his skull. He yells out, struggling against the guards, and the voice continues, calm as ever, as he writhes in pain.

**_Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I… Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage!_ **

Ryuji reaches up to cradle his face and finds a mask there. It burns his hands as though made of fire, but he instinctively knows what he must do. He rips it off, feeling his skin tear off with it and the blood from the wound running down his face, and then the world dissolves into raging blue fire.

“Nnnnnggh! Come, Arsene!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning to update again really soon, I keep writing scenes I'm excited about but then not fitting them into the current chapter... Ah, well.


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